


Super Dangerous Stuff Tony Would Disapprove Of

by kenzithewriter



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Avengers Family, Domestic Avengers, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Is Gay, God(dess) of Mischief, M/M, Minor Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-06-24 04:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15622992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenzithewriter/pseuds/kenzithewriter
Summary: “Mr. Stark, you’re being ridiculous!” Peter threw his hands up while following after the famed Iron Man.“No, I’m being practical,” he shot back over his shoulder, not missing a beat.“Practical?” The smaller man sputtered the word out in disbelief, “secluding me away and locking half of the tower up and making me follow a schedule down to the minute is practical?” If he hadn’t been so frustrated with these turn of events he might have pulled his phone out and silently sent him a meme, the one from Princess Bride saying “you keep using that word, I don’t think you know what it means.”A few years after the Infinity War, Peter is 19 staying at the Tower for the summer, and Loki is meant to stay with them for a while due to complications on Asgard. Peter's curiosity is piqued and he desperately wants to meet him, Tony has different plans. But when has that ever stopped Peter? Slow burn, maybe eventual smut.





	1. Peter Has a Plan

“Mr. Stark, you’re being ridiculous!” Peter threw his hands up while following after Iron Man himself.  
“No, I’m being practical,” he shot back over his shoulder, not missing a beat.  
“Practical?” The smaller man sputtered the word out in disbelief, “secluding me away, locking up half of the tower, and making me follow a schedule down to the minute is practical?” If Peter hadn’t been so frustrated he might have pulled his phone out and silently sent Tony a meme, the one from Princess Bride saying “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” As it was however, he just kept trailing after him, expressing his incredulity through flying limbs. “It’s a bit excessive.”   
“You know what’s excessive, kid? Teaming together with an army of alien warriors to try and rule a whole planet because your daddy cut you off from the inheritance. You know what else? Faking your death in front of your brother and impersonating your father, while he sits in a nursing home under a spell on the aforementioned planet that you tried to take over, so you can rule your own planet afterward. Stop me if you’re getting the hint?”  
Peter forced the groan creeping up his throat back down, trying to be as reasonable as possible, “Anyone ever tell you you really hold a grudge?”  
“Yeah I guess I’m funny that way, I remember when people attempt to take over my planet.” Tony continued walking through the halls, barely sparing Peter a glance as he argued with him.  
“But people change! All of that was years ago, and since Loki hasn’t caused any trouble, and you know what Thor said, he sacraficed himself to try and stop-”  
“Yeah I know what Thor says, and I also know Thor’s always had a blind spot where his brothers concerned, and maybe you also caught the part of that story where the whole reason Thanos attacked them was because Loki took the tesseract from Asgard and was hiding it. Who knows what his real agenda had been.”   
Peter could feel himself losing the battle, but he wouldn’t back down so easily. Peter had been staying here at the Tower with Stark during the summer between college classes. He was not only frustrated at the idea of missing the opportunity to finally meet Loki, well missing is generous, more like being robbed of it, but more than that, he was 19 years old now, he was well above the friendly neighborhood spiderman at this point, and still Tony was treating him like a child, telling him who he can and can’t associate with.   
He tried not to take it so hard, the protective nature Tony had over him, especially after Thanos, he knew it was only because he cared, and he appreciated that, but it could be suffocating. He often still felt like he had to prove himself, prove that he was capable and could stand on his own.   
When Peter had found Tony rushing around, freshening up locks and doors and the IA systems, Peter was instantly curious, but he hadn’t in a million years guessed what was really happening. “What’s going on? Friday lock you out of the liquor cabinet again?” He joked.  
Tony only glanced at him and scoffed, “That’s never happening again, not if FRIDAY knows what’s good for her!” He spoke up on that last part, but never lifted his gaze from the ipad he carried.  
“Then…?” Peter gestured to his ipad and the door he was standing in front of questioningly, “What are you doing?”  
Tony made eye contact briefly, seeming to be gathering his thoughts and calculating something, then seemed to come to a decision. “We’ve got a guest staying with us for a while.”  
“Cool. Who is it? Oh oh! Is it the guardians?” Peter took off on a ramble as his excitement took over the part of the brain that controlled his mouth, “Because I still have to beat Rocket’s ass at Halo, oh and I have some more music for Quill!” Peter started bouncing with energy, but it simpered out quickly when he took in Tony’s clenched jaw and tight stance, and the way he was ignoring Peters babbling, which usually earned some sort of flippant sarcastic quip. “So… Not the Guardians?” Peter asked awkwardly.  
Tony glanced at him again before answering, watching for a reaction this time, “No. It’s Thor’s brother.”  
Peter took this in for a second, and he felt the bout of excitement rebound as he thought about what this meant, the possibility of meeting Loki. Asking him every single question about his magic abilities until the god turned him into some animal just to get him to shut up. Bugging him about knife throwing until he taught him how, or threw one at him to shut him up. Talking him into sparring with him just to see what it’s like to fight Loki, to fight a God. And then probably dying because of getting on his nerves so damned much.  
Peter started grinning, without even realizing it, and was answering in a rush of words, “Loki? Like The Loki?” Tony flinched at the name, as if he were talking about Voldemort, but Peter couldn’t even focus on it through his enthusiasm, “That’s great! When does he get here? How long is he staying? Why is he staying, isn’t he supposed to be helping bring back the Asgardians? Is he going to help us on missions? Oh man I bet he’s amazing in a fight, oh! Do you think he likes video games? I could totally whoop his ass in Halo! You think I could-”  
“No, absolutely not.” Tony finally cut Peter off, his eyes a bit wide at the boy and his outpour of words, completely shocked by this reaction, and his doubt and dread about the prospect of the trickster living under his roof doubled. “There will be no Halo with Loki, or any other video games. No Fraternizing of any kind with Loki.”  
Peter was a bit shocked at this, and then he put two and two together, taking a look at the ipad again and all the locks on the doors, and he felt an ice of unease slip up his spine.  
Tony didn’t wait for another reaction, he just handed him a laminated floor plan, “These are the new living arrangements,” and walked off, leaving Peter to blanche at the thing, marking off several room as off limits and many more having specific allotted times of allowed entry.  
“Oh no no no no…” Peter muttered before tearing after Stark down the halls. That was a few days ago, and so far their argument had gone exactly nowhere.  
Peter sighed inwardly, pulling out of his thoughts and pushing on, “But, again, it’s been years since any of that, even Bruce talked about how he ended up fighting with them on Asgard and did so honorably, and ya know with Thanos and the soul stone-” I caught myself before I let the thought weasel all the way out, how being in the soul stone like that, It wasn’t something you could easily shake off. But that wasn’t a memory I tried to remind Tony of. Besides a slight tension that formed in his shoulders, he didn’t acknowledge the comment. “I just think it’s been long enough, we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt here.”  
“Oh, I am, it’s the only reason I’m allowing him to stay here at all, and you’re not going anywhere near that lunatic.” We reached Tony’s office and he stepped through the door, turning to lean against it and look Peter over. “Listen, Pete, just trust me on this one? The guy is trouble.”   
“You do remember I’m a superhero right? Spiderman? Shoots web out of my hands and can climb walls? Ring any bells?” Peter tried, looking at him hopefully.  
Tony smirked at the kid, familiar sarcasm written all over the older man’s face, “Yeah, I’m pretty familiar with it, maybe you remember I’m the guy who pays for your classes and puts a roof over your head, oh and all those fancy video games you wanna play so badly with villians?”  
“Hey!” Peter interjected, about to launch into a defense, since he’d tried to fight Stark on every one of those purchases, but Tony cut him off, a small smile of fondness taking over the smirk, “Go to sleep, Parker, I’ll try to arrest you a video game partner tomorrow if it means that much to you.” Tony shut the door on Peter, making the smaller man slump his shoulders in defeat.  
“Well, tomorrow should be fun…” Peter muttered to himself as he turned back down the corridor, looking down at the floor plans in his hand. It was marked up like a boot camp, off limits rooms and time frames for when certain parts of the tower were safe to enter. Peter scoffed to himself, disbelieving Tony went to these lengths, but also kind of finding it amusing.   
His thoughts turned back over to what was happening. Tomorrow morning, Loki Odinson himself would be here, not only on Earth, not even just in the same city, but in the very same building as Peter. The idea itself was surreal.   
Peter knew all about Loki, not only all of the bad stories, and there were plenty, but also the good ones. The ones Thor would tell Peter late at night, reminiscing over missed family members together. Thor loved his brother, and it was obvious, even when he would tell stories about Loki’s cruel moments, like turning himself into a snake to trick Thor into picking him up only to turn back and stab him, he would tell the story with a gleam in his eye. He respected and admired Loki, even at his lowest points.  
Peter was amazed to see such unconditional love for someone like that, such a bond. It struck Peter in a way that he couldn’t shake, couldn’t even really grasp. Peter had plenty of friends and family, he wasn’t unloved by any means, but something about the love between them just fascinate Peter. Maybe it was his desire for his own sibling. Maybe it was the fact that no matter what Loki did, Thor always loved and cared for him. Peter felt like he had to be the best he could be just to deserve the love he currently was getting, constantly having to prove himself. The love Thor had for his brother, that had to be one helluva burden on Loki’s shoulders, and Peter could scarcely imagine.  
So, after hearing about their brotherhood, just a taste of their shared life, and Peter needed more. Thor telling him stories became a regular thing from there. They would constantly get together and just chat, it was a rare moment that Peter wasn’t the one talking a mile a minute. Instead he listened to Thor talk about home, about growing up with a cunning genius of a brother who had a cruel streak and mystical powers he could only imagine. About a father who loved them, more so on condition than unconditionally if you asked Peter, but Thor didn’t, so he never shared his thoughts.  
Peter heard stories of adventures and fights and all kinds of tests and trials, loss and pain sometimes. And the more he learned about their grand adventures, sometimes against each other; sometimes together, the more he wanted to meet the infamous Loki himself. Even after the stories of destruction and pain he caused, Peter couldn’t help but be fascinated with the god. He was a legend, everything he did seemed astounding to Peter. Between the manipulation and the grand schemes of take over, he was a mystery and a badass in Peter’s mind. He’d been wanting to meet him for years now.  
Thor had said Loki was different now, and Peter believed it. Even if he didn’t fully trust him, he believed in second chances. In redemption. And, he believed that being in that soul stone? Even if it had been a trick to stay alive by Loki, which was genius on its own, wasn’t an experience Peter wished on anyone, he knew first hand how it could affect someone. He didn’t for a second doubt how it could completely change a person, whether he originally had ulterior motives or not.  
Peter understood why Tony was doing it, and he knew wholeheartedly that he only did it because he cared. And that knowledge warmed him, but it didn’t also stop it from being annoying and an incredible inconvenience. Peter mostly indulged Tony’s overprotectiveness, especially after Thanos. He didn’t want to worry Tony or cause him any more stress, which is why he mostly did all of the Super Dangerous Stuff Tony Would Disapprove Of, in secret. Because Peter also cared for Tony, and this was his own way of protecting him.  
So, if Tony’s mind couldn’t be changed about Loki, Peter would just have to take matters into his own hands, because there was no way in hell Peter was about to miss his chance of meeting the God of Mischief.


	2. Peter Asks his Other Dad

Whenever Tony was being unreasonable, which was most of the time, Peter usually went to Steve next. Even though things had been strained for a while with the whole Bucky aspect, Thanos had kinda put things in perspective and they mellowed out. Mostly.  
Steve had been staying at the tower for a while, sometimes staying away for a bit during missions, but technically he lived here too.  
So the instant Peter had woken up, he tracked Steve down, finding him sitting at the kitchen island with a mouthful of cereal and looking like he had just crawled out of bed.  
Peter wasted no time in launching straight into his speech, much to the surprise of the sleepy Captain, who sat staring at him in bewilderment as he continued to babble.  
“But it's totally unfair! I helped fight Thanos, you really think I cant handle myself? Come on, I'm 19, I'm a full fledged superhero, an actual Avenger! I shouldn't be forbid from socializing with someone! If you guys can trust him to live here, you should be able to trust me to meet him!”  
After Steve finally swallowed his cereal, he had to put his hands out in a calming gesture just to get a word in edgewise, “Slow down. Now what are you talking about?”  
Peter looked up at the ceiling and groaned in exasperation, “Loki!” he said, as if Steve were dense.  
“Oh, so you talked to Tony?” Steve asked mildly.  
“Yeah, and he won't budge! He’s being absurd here, right?” Peter asked hopefully, expecting some validation at the very least.  
But Steve’s face just looked kind of apologetic as he shoveled another bite into his mouth.  
Peter squinted at the older man in suspicion. “You don’t actually agree with Tony on this do you?”  
When Steve sighed and set his spoon down in the bowl, Peter threw his hands up in exasperation, “Of course you do! The one time I actually need you two to be against each other and fighting over something, and you’re siding with each other.”  
“Hey now, we don’t fight.” Steve said defensively, and when Peter only lifted his eyebrows in response, Steve fidgeted in his seat slightly, “I mean, not that often, and it’s not fighting per se, just casual disagreements.” He tried reasoning, looking awkward about the subject.  
“Please,” Peter said, still completely unconvinced, and a bit amused, “You guys are at each other’s throats for everything. Just a week ago you were bickering about how to make a proper cup of coffee.”  
Steve looked indignant at that, instantly picking up the argument “That machine does not-” He cut off abruptly when he caught Peter’s smug look, and he scowled at the younger man, good heartedly though. “Listen, Pete, I'm sorry but I kind of think I should stay out of this one. I know there's a lot going on with Loki and Thor right now, it might be the smart move keeping you out of the way.”  
“I'm not a kid anymore, I won't get in the way, hell I can even help!” Peter exclaimed passionately.  
“Hey, easy on the language." Steve responded, earning an eye roll from Peter.  
Steve studied Peter for a minute, “Why do you wanna meet him so badly anyway? He is kind of a…” he seemed to be searching for a delicate way to say it, “bad guy, ya know?”  
Peter felt a bit awkward about his little idolization. Sure, he told himself it was perfectly normal all the time, he just has a really curious nature, and Loki is a god for crying out loud, why wouldn't he be dying to meet the man? But for some reason, explaining this to anyone, saying it out loud, made him feel small and awkward. So he ignored that question, and got a bit defensive. “Oh and Bucky never did anything wrong?”  
A look of pain crossed over Steve's face and Peter was hit with instant guilt and regret. He quickly tried to mend it, scrambling over the words. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean- That is, Bucky-”  
Steve put up a hand to stop the babbling, a small sad smile on his face, “It’s okay, Peter, I get what you mean.” there was something unidentifiable in Steve's blue eyes which made Peter brim with nervous energy and he started bouncing his leg in its spot. “Meeting Loki is that important to you?”  
Peter glanced back up into his friend’s eyes, feeling a twist of anxiety in his chest, but he knows its his best chance of convincing Steve, which is his best chance of meeting Loki. So he takes a deep breath and pushes past his fear, “Yeah, you know, I just, he’s a God, that’s...That’s crazy.” Peter was trying for his usual flippant attitude, but he could tell it was falling a bit flat. “So I was hoping to meet the infamous, uh, God of Mischief.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and of course, Steve was picking up on it.  
“Right.” Steve looked at him oddly for a minute, his brow furrowed slightly. Then he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face and seemed to be thinking something over as he stared at Peter. “Alright, kid, I’ll help you out.”  
“Really?” Peter’s face lit up in a flash as he hopped up from his stool, and caught Captain America in a hug. “Thank you thank you thank you.”  
Steve chuckled in surprise and clapped his hand on the kid’s back. “No problem, I’ll just have to talk to Tony about it.”  
Peter pulled back from the hug, his excitement dampened just a bit, “Oh, I mean we could just keep it our little secret...?” He suggested with a feeble smile, but Steve wasn’t buying it.  
“No go, kid.” Steve said, shaking his head as he picked up his empty cereal bowl and stood up, “I’m not starting another civil war over this. I’ll go talk to Tony right now, okay? I’m sure I’ll get him to come around.” Steve squeezed Peter’s shoulder affectionately and strode out of the room, leaving Peter alone with a stomach that wouldn’t stop doing summersaults.

 

 

Steve walked out of the kitchen with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Something about the expression on Peter’s face set off alarms in his head, but he couldn’t figure out why. Something familiar in those eyes when he stumbled over an explanation for his interest in Loki. Steve shook his head to try and clear the thoughts. He was getting entirely too old for this.  
“FRIDAY, where’s Tony?” Steve asked the empty room.  
“Tony is in the basement workstation.” The AI’s voice rang out in the quiet room, and Steve made his way to the basement.  
He walked down the stairs easily, though he could already feel the old tension forming in his shoulders as he looked through the windows of the workstation, scanning for the familiar face. Tony and him had been on pretty good terms since the Thanos attack, things kind of just went back to normal. Or, well, a version of normal.  
They were friends, they ate and drank together, even worked on missions together, but it felt like something was missing. It wasn’t quite the same, filled with tension and awkward silences, words never said and feelings ignored. And every interaction they had sent a fresh stab of pain into the old wound. It also didn’t help that almost every interaction they had ended up turning into an argument. But Steve didn’t expect forgiveness anytime soon, he didn’t even think he deserved it, really, not after everything he put Tony through. The idea of losing Tony might make Steve’s breath catch and his heart feel like its ripping in half, but he knew Tony would be better off without him, if Steve just faded from his life, leaving him to heal and move on and forget about him.  
And as much as Steve told himself this, he could never find the strength to walk away, he was weak when it came to this, cutting himself out of his friend’s life. So here he was, staying in the Tower for long periods at a time. Not leading the Avengers anymore, but still going on missions with some of the heroes now and again. He at least tried to stay out of Tony’s way when he was around, as much as possible without it being obvious.  
He couldn’t remember the last time he had actually sought Tony out, and as he finally saw him leaning over the hood of one of his many cars, he realized he also couldn’t remember the last time they had been alone together.  
Steve opened the glass door into the garage, wincing slightly at the loud music playing over the sound system, and he hesitantly walked towards his old friend. Tony was wearing a tank top that had probably once been white, but it was covered in all kinds of dirt and grease from all the work he was doing. His hair was disheveled and likely dirty, his muscles were being worked as he did something to the inside of the car.  
Steve watched him silently as he approached, and when Tony finally took notice, he did a double take in his direction. “FRIDAY, cut the music.” The loud rock music ceased immediately, and Tony examined Steve silently for a minute, and it took all of the heroes strength to stand tall and not twitch under that scrutiny, and then he finally spoke, “Something tells me you’re not here to help with the tune up.” He nodded to the car as he straightened up, pulling a rag out of his back pocket to wipe his hands off.  
“I’m pretty sure you don’t want me anywhere near your car.” He managed to respond lightly, even though his insides were still in knots. Tony just nodded at him, looking a bit wary at seeing Steve down here. “Actually, I’m here to talk about Peter.”  
Tony’s face sobered up instantly, “What about Peter? Is he okay?” His voice was hard, but the worry in his eyes made Steve’s heart twist.  
“Yeah, yeah, he’s fine, sorry. No he… Well he wanted me to talk to you about this whole Loki thing…” Steve knew this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, even ignoring all of their own history and complications, just the subject alone was going to be difficult.  
And when Tony’s face looked exasperated for a minute, then turned sarcastic, he bit back a dramatic sigh, “Oh he did now, did he?” Tony asked with his usual dry manner, not revealing any real emotions in it.  
“Yeah, he just seems genuinely curious about Loki, and since we’re letting Loki live-”  
“We aren’t doing anything here, Cap.” Tony interrupted, and the words really hit Steve in the heart. He doesn’t even know the last time he heard the nickname from Tony, and he definitely hadn’t heard it in that sardonic tone.  
“No, of course not. I just…” Steve could feel himself faltering, which irritated him, the way this man unnerved him sometimes. As Steve tried to reign his thoughts in, Tony continued, ignoring his stumbling words.  
“Now, I appreciate you constantly thinking my way of running my own house and operations are wrong, but I assure you, I’ve managed to get by just fine without your input, and I certainly don’t need it now.” He picked up the wrench he’d been using, going back to the car.  
“Hey, that’s not what I was trying to do, Tony.” The anger slipping through Tony’s words sparked Steve back to life, and he tried for a soothing tone, attempting to smooth things back over as much as possible, “Look, Peter asked for my help, and I was just trying to lend a hand, maybe mediate a compromise.”  
Tony straightened back up, now using the wrench to punctuate his words, “Right, because Steve Rogers knows what's best for everyone, and is always the good guy.”  
“What is that supposed to mean?” Steve asked incredulously.  
“You realize you just fell for the oldest trick in the book, right?” Tony asked, ignoring Steve’s question.  
“What are you talking about, Tony?” Steve asked exasperatedly and not without aggravation.  
“I’m talking about Peter, Einstein, he just played the ‘one parent said no let me ask the other one’ gimmick?” Tony crossed his arms and stared at Steve expectantly as he waited for the words to sink in.  
Steve’s stomach clenched at the implication there, that they were Peter’s parents. There was so much to process in that one sentence, it took Steve a while to focus his thoughts. Then he rubbed his chin lightly, ignoring the way his heart skipped at the thought, and admitted that they were both kind of caretakers to the boy these days, and the kid didn’t have many others to look to. It made sense, and so did Tony’s theory on Peter’s plan here. But still, he couldn’t shake the look in his eyes, and whether this had been a trick to get his way or not, meeting Loki was something he clearly wanted, so Steve pushed forward.  
“Okay… You have a point, but, honestly? Even if he was just trying to get his way, you should’ve heard the way he talked about this, Tony, the way he talked about Loki. He seems to really need this, and maybe we should let them meet? He is a lot older now, and he can handle a lot. Could one supervised meeting with Loki be that bad?”  
Tony threw his rag down on the car and marched away, grumbling under his breath, and Steve followed, ignoring the grumbling.  
“Come on, Tony, why are you even letting Loki live here if you trust him so little?” Steve asked his retreating figure.  
“Oh believe me, Loki living here is the last thing I wanted, okay? So, I took precautions, and one of them is that Peter isn’t going anywhere near that villian.”  
Peter’s words flashed across Steve’s mind then, Cause Bucky never did anything wrong?  
“Tony, you know the stories, Loki has come a long way from that attack on New York, not that I don’t think he isn’t still a troublemaker, but maybe he has grown up a bit. We’ve all done things we regret, right? Maybe we should at least try to give him the benefit of the doubt.” Tony spun on his heel at that one, and Steve was worried he’d pushed him too far, they both just stood there, tension radiating around the room.  
“You just really love to fight for whatever position I'm not on, don’t you?” his words were angry, but Steve could pick up the pain in it to, and his heart was breaking all over again.  
“No, Tony, its it's not like that at all.” he took a few steps forward, desperate to reassure his friend. Steve let himself drown in his sorrows, but he never once wanted Tony to have to do that. When he was just a few feet away, completely unsure of what it was he planned on doing, a loud crash suddenly sounded upstairs.  
Both of the men snapped to attention, their personal feelings sat aside as they looked at the staircase, their bodies tensed for action. They locked gazes and so much was said in so little time, and without wasting another second, they were both moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!  
> And I promise there will be Loki in the next chapter xo


	3. Loki Comes to Stay

As soon as Steve had left the kitchen, Peter had thought about following to eavesdrop on the convo, but he decided it was pointless. Knowing them it’s just going to get heated and full of tension and honestly overhearing those arguments was always super awkward.  
So instead, he headed for the main room, figured he’d attempt to distract himself with some video games maybe, anything to get his mind off of the fact that God of Mischief would be in this very building any time now. Thor was supposed to be bringing him by sometime today, though there hadn’t been a set upon time.  
Just the thought caused his stomach to jolt and his heart to beat faster. He would meet Loki, one way or another, he wasn't going to miss this chance. He could deal with a pissed off Tony afterwards.  
Just as Peter rounded a corner, he finally made out noises coming from the main room, another couple hallways away, but his hearing was better than most, and he could easily pick up the sound of bickering. Peter’s brow furrowed as he listened in, only catching the cascading of voices. A man’s, deep and rich, sounding melodic. It wasn’t a voice Peter recognized, and he was immediately on guard. The Tower might have top security, but in their line of work, you can never be too careful. Peter crept forward, straining to listen to the voices, and as he got closer, he finally heard the other man speak.  
“Brother, behave yourself.” Peter recognized Thor’s voice instantly, and he felt like his heart had stopped. Thor was here, talking to his brother. Peter was frozen to his spot, unsure how to process the situation, his stomach full of butterflies, or was it spiders?  
“Alright, I'm going to go see what is keeping the others, stay here, and don't touch anything! I had to twist Tony's arm to get him to allow you to stay, he will gladly kick you out for breaking any of his stuff.” Thor's loud voice filled the room, and without even realizing it, Peter had snuck farther down the hall.  
A shiver went down Peter’s spine then, his hair standing on end, and he scrambled up the wall as soon as he recognized his spidey sense. He held himself on the ceiling as he watched Thor march past him in the other direction.  
Peter heard the voice from inside the room mumble to themself, this time he was close enough to make out the words, “As if I'm interested in any of Stark's toys.” The accent was different than anything Peter was used to, a bit similar to Thor’s, but their voices were so different. Thor was loud and boisterous, but this one was sharper, controlled.  
Peter’s heart raced at the thought that this was the one and only Loki, the man who tore up New York. The man who tried to rule Asgard under the disguise of his father. The man who tried to kill Thor and the rest of the avengers multiple times.  
He was also the man who tried to stop Thanos, no matter the risk it posed to himself. The man who offered up the tesseract to save his brother. The man who came back to help save a home that had never welcomed him.  
Peter's resolve grew, and he decided this was the perfect opportunity. Steve and Tony were probably still busy bickering and Thor couldn't find his way through the Tower if he had a GPS.  
Peter crept over the door and onto the ceiling in the main room, finally catching sight of Loki. He looked just like the photos Peter had seen, covered in tight black leathers with highlights of green, a long cloak hanging onto his thin frame. The only difference Peter could make was that his black hair seemed longer these days, and a good bit curlier.  
Peter couldn't breathe, he wasn't sure if he was afraid of alerting the god to his presence, or if he was just that astonished to finally be laying eyes on the man. He watched as Loki made his way around the room, slowly circling and studying everything, from the statues and plants, to the few pictures on the walls. He had his hands clasped behind his back and his movements seemed relaxed, somewhat bored even.  
Peter was in awe, just watching the man was enough to make him elated. And then Loki moved closer and closer, his inspection bringing him to the other side of the room, and Peter froze, now terrified that he was going to be caught by the man.  
Loki stopped to pick something up and examine it, and he turned in his spot with the item in his hands, walking to stand just underneath where Peter was hanging onto the ceiling. He still seemed relaxed and unaware of Peter all together. Peter finally calmed himself down and planned to back out of the room, and maybe walk in and introduce himself like a normal person, but as soon as he moved a step backward, his world was spinning, there was a hand gripping the front of his shirt, and the next thing he knew he was slammed onto the floor, left blinking up at a sardonic expression framed by black hair, and eyes that studied him intensely.  
“You can’t be one of the Vidar, but maybe someone they hired? You’re rather tiny for them to think you’re a match for a God, aren’t you?” Loki shifted so that he was pinning Peter down, his legs straddling either side of him, and as he leaned over him, he was suddenly pressing a small dagger against Peter’s throat. Words stuck in Peter’s throat, his mind seemed to be buffering as he just stared into those bright green eyes, feeling the bite of metal at his throat, “No matter, you were obviously sent after me-”  
The words finally clicked in Peter’s head, and he stumbled over himself in an attempt to explain himself, “No, wait that’s not- I mean, I’m not-”, Peter stopped and visibly tried to reign his thoughts in, “I should probably introduce myself, ah I’m Peter. I’m actually a huge fan!” When Loki only narrowed his eyes in response, Peter hastened to add, “No, seriously! Like, oh that time you turned into a snake and stabbed Thor, that sounded hilarious! Oh, it reminds me of this joke I played once on my friend Ned, I think you’d like him…” Peter trailed off as he noticed the look on Loki’s face, full of disdain. Peter swallowed hard as he glanced down, realizing what a compromising position he was in, a bit of nervousness winding its way through his excitement, and the fact that Loki was still just staring at him, studying him carefully, something unidentifiable in his eyes.  
But Loki seemed to realize something, because the suspicion slowly drained from his face, leaving only a touch of distrust. He lifted the blade away from Peter’s face and it disappeared in a flash of green. He glanced down at where he had Peter pinned to the ground, raising up so that he was holding himself up over Peter, no longer holding him down. His jaw clenched and he opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the sound of pounding feet, both of them jerking their gazes up at the door Peter had come through and watched Tony round the corner.  
Tony was upside down from Peter’s vantage point, but the anger was still evident, rolling off of him in waves as he stopped in his tracks, glaring them down. Peter felt his face go hot as he could only imagine how they looked, him lying there with Loki sprawled on top of him. Steve wasn’t far behind, soon following Tony until he crashed into him, taking note of the two men, and then Thor was right behind them.  
Peter felt Loki tense on top of him, but he didn’t move as he stared them down, like prey who had spotted their hunter and waited for the first move.  
“What in the hell are you doing?” As soon as the words left Tony’s mouth, Loki sprung up off of Peter, holding his hands up in surrender, but still smirking like he’s wanted to be caught. Tony marched over to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, slamming him into the nearest wall.  
Loki didn’t fight as he was thrown, he just gave Tony a snide look as he replied in a slightly strained voice, “Wasn’t it obvious?” Tony pulled him back a foot and slammed him into the wall again with a grunt.  
Peter jumped to his feet at that, embarrassment and anxiety ricocheting inside of him. “Tony, stop! He didn’t do anything!” He tried to be heard over the chaos, Steve trying to calm Tony down, Thor berating Loki, but it seemed impossible.  
“Do you see what I mean, do you see why I wanted you kept away from him?” Tony held onto the front of Loki’s clothes, gripping him tight, ignoring all of those around him. Loki held himself tall, meeting Tony directly in the eye. Tony turned his glare to Steve in turn, letting his words sink into the both of them. “This is the man you think should be Peter’s new bff? Really?” The disgust in his voice made Peter flinch, though logically he knew it was because Loki had appeared to be attacking him, and he supposed he had been, but for some reason he felt a small bundle of shame burn in the pit of his stomach.  
Loki’s keen gaze flicked over to Peter for a brief second before returning his attention back to Tony, “Ah, they grow up so fast, don’t they?”  
“Loki, for once in your life, shut up!”, Thor’s voice boomed in the room, causing Loki to grin in a way that reminded Peter of who he was, the God of Mischief. He held his arms out in a half hearted shrug.  
Peter seized the opportunity of the now quieter room, coming closer to Tony and speaking in a anxious voice, “Tony, please, it was my fault, I was- er, he caught me spying on him, and he seemed to think someone sent me after him? He let up as soon as I explained.”  
Tony was still furious, he glanced at Peter for a moment, the two of them locking gazes, Peter willing him to see the earnestness in his face. After what felt like hours, Tony wrenched his hands away from Loki, who stumbled to catch his balance.  
Peter let out a small breath, relief flooding his body as Tony stepped away, running a hand over his face, “I told you to stay away from him, he’s been here two seconds and you’re rushing into altercations with him? Do you deliberately try to do the exact opposite of what I ask, or is it just luck?”  
Peter took the sarcasm as a good sign, even if it was laced with anger, and he couldn’t help the small smile as he quipped back, “I’d say it’s more of a talent really.”  
“While this has been entertaining, I’d appreciate it if you could point me in the direction of my accommodations.” Loki’s voice cut through the room, dripping with sarcasm, and it seemed to cause Tony’s blood pressure to skyrocket once again.  
“Yeah, I’ll get right on those accommodations, right after you go to-”  
“Stark. We agreed to help them, let's try to be civil in the meantime?” Steve’s voice cut Tony off, and Thor walked to his brother, clapping a hand on his shoulder, which made Loki roll his eyes slightly.  
“Wait, but what was that earlier, about someone being sent after you? Are you guys in trouble?” Peter was still dying to just sit and talk to Loki, learn everything about him, starting with why they were here. Loki met Peter’s gaze, his face unreadable as he studied the younger man.  
Tony put a hand on Peter’s shoulder and answered him, “Don’t worry about it kid, we’re taking care of it. Steve, will you show them to their rooms?”  
Steve nodded, a look of concern still on his face, but he started to lead them away. Thor smiled in his good natured way and started to follow, Loki hesitated only a moment, eyeing Peter briefly before beginning to follow.  
Peter watched as Loki walked past him, still in awe of the man, looking every bit as legendary as Peter had expected him to. He didn’t want this to end and he frantically thought of something to say to him before he’s left, unsure of when he’d get to see him next.  
“It was great meeting you Mr. God of Mischief, er Loki sir. I uh yeah, thanks for not attacking me?” Peter cringed at his own awkwardness, running a hand through his unruly hair.  
Loki gave him a quick glance over his shoulder, only giving him a brief “Hmm.” In response as he left the room.  
Peter and Tony stood there in awkward silence for a moment, before Tony finally spoke up, “Kid, I hope you realize you’re grounded until you’re like 30, and that’s just for being a real pain in the ass.”  
Peter grinned as he responded, “You better watch your language or Steve is gonna ground you.”  
Tony scoffed and shook his head in response, “Parker, you got lucky this time, okay? But trust me when I say it’s for your own good that you stay away from Loki. You’re playing with fire here.”  
Peter shrugged, turning serious for a moment, “I think I can take care of myself, and even if I do get into trouble, I think it’s time you trust me to be able to get myself out of it.” He said with a small reassuring smile.  
“There’s stuff going on here that you don’t know about, Peter. I mean, it’s stuff even Thor and Loki can’t handle. Trust me, this is the best way. Just steer clear of Loki.” And with that, Tony left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I'm doing good with these, it's been years since I've written fanfiction and I feel like I'm kind of stumbling through it? I just hope you guys are all enjoying it! Let me know what you think :)


	4. Loki Gets Into Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait!!! I have been swamped with stuff to do and just havent gotten around to writing anything lately! I just finished up this chapter, which gave me some trouble, I really wasn't sure how to get it where I wanted it, but I've got a good outline for the rest so hopefully everything will flow better!!  
> I really hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions or ideas! Thanks for all the kudos and comments guys, I love it!! :D

“You cheated, ya fucking liar!” the booming voice bounced off the walls of the small bar, demanding the attention of the entire place.  
Loki only quirked an eyebrow, his only outward sign of irritation as he raked the pile of money towards himself, having just severely kicked their asses at poker in the little back alley biker bar.  
He’d snuck out of the tower only an hour ago, looking for some sort of trouble to keep him from killing himself. He knew being surrounded by all the heroes was going to be a challenge, but damn he really underestimated how dull these do-gooders really were. One week in the tower and he was already going crazy. So he switched his Asgardian armour for black jeans and a dark green button up shirt, with a long black coat, and he’d sought something fun to do.  
“I can assure you,” he spoke with a note of mock sincerity, “I did no such thing.” he let the words sit in the air for a moment, and then he winked at the large man.  
The other guy stood up, toppling the chair behind him and his face became bright red beneath all of the ungroomed facial hair. He pointed a meaty finger at Loki as he bellowed, and Loki just sat there counting the money, a bored expression on his face, and he mumbled to himself, “why are you humans all so damned boring in your predictability.”  
“You think I'm a fucking joke, you piece of shit?”  
“Oh come now, is name calling really necessary?” Loki’s words were polite but there was that tone of amusement underneath.  
“You are going to give me my money back or I'll break every one of your goddamn fingers.”  
“And now with the threats.” Loki was still counting his newly won money.  
“I'm serious you little fag-"  
Loki’s eyes snapped up at the man, suddenly sharp as daggers, his bored and unconcerned manner was gone, replaced with a cold force that the whole rundown bar tooke notice of. “I’m fairly certain that word is frowned upon in your society.”  
The big man only roared with laughter, his few lackeys following behind nervously. The man was all too happy to think he’d hit a nerve in the smaller odd man, and he ignored any deep instincts that told him to leave it be. “Oh I should’ve known!” He leaned his big meaty hands onto the table and pushed his face closer to Loki’s, “Well listen closely you pansey, I will not let your perverted ass walk out of here with my money, so you can hand it over and I won’t beat you to hell and back, or I can break you in half and use you as scary story to keep my kids from thinking it’d ever be okay to be a fruity little bitch like you”  
Loki held the man’s dark gaze, burning hate and fury in one, matched with nothing but a hard set of green eyes that didn’t hold an ounce of fear. Loki let his mouth turn up in a dispassionate smile that seemed almost like he was baring his teeth, “Well, thank you for actually making this quite enjoyable for me.”  
Then Loki wrapped his hand around the back of the man's neck, faster than anyone could see, and he slammed his face into the table, scattering money and poker chips everywhere. He stood up, hooked his foot into his chair and smashed it into the person behind him, just as the burly man straightened, blood leaking from his face and onto his hands, he was yelling. Loki grabbed ahold of the table and spun it, throwing it into a group of bikers coming straight at him, they flew back into the wall. A man with a knife was coming towards him, and Loki sidestepped perfectly, leaving his foot out and tripping the man, sending him and the knife sprawling on the floor.  
The large biker finally came to his senses and was making his way towards Loki now across the room, his eyes flaming with fury as he wiped blood away from his face, and Loki stood their patiently, a small smile tugging at his lips.  
The man pulled a hidden knife out and popped it open, and Loki only responded with a full grin and a spread of his arms.  
The man lunged, his large body and injury slowing him down to an embarrassing speed, and Loki easily stepped out of reach. “Oh, come on, you’ve got to have more than that.” Loki spoke in his best condescending voice, still grinning at the angry man.  
He swiped the knife out quicker than Loki thought he could, just barely pulling his arm out of range, “Now, that’s much better, almost got me even!” The man roared and tried for a punch, and Loki ducked, the man’s knife went for him, and Loki barely caught the arm in its path, and he quickly twisted it behind the large man. Loki stomped on the back of his knees, causing the man to buckle and fall to his knees with a yell. Loki twisted the arm tightly and out fell the knife.  
The room was quiet, those who weren’t beaten either left or were hiding in fear now, and Loki leaned in and spoke in a quiet controlled hiss, “I will be using this as a little story for the rest of the city, don’t talk out of your ass.”  
“Loki! Let him go!” The voice rang through the room, loud and clear, and Loki flicked his gaze up, and hid his surprise at seeing Spider-man standing in the doorway, not looking anything like the flustered boy he’d met when first returning to this planet. The suit helped of course, but Thor had already told him who he was, and that Thor would feed him to the Vidar himself if he ever told Peter’s secret to anyone.  
Loki looked down at the biker he held onto, and back up at the superhero waiting for him to follow orders. Loki sneered at the situation, but he leaned back down to the man and whispered, “I’m sure I’ll see you around.” And Loki let him drop to the floor in a heap.  
Loki walked through the room, stepping over a few unconscious bodies, feeling the whole room collectively hold their breath as the watched, likely expecting a fight to break out, but he wouldn’t be obliging tonight. Too much depended on being in the hero’s good graces, unfortunately. So instead of doing what he wanted, fighting anyone in his way until he either made it through or died trying, he simply took his exit, barely glancing at the hero as he did.

 

 

Peter stared at the trashed bar in slight shock, seeing the destruction Loki had wrought. He watched the God walk past him and out of the bar with a detached coldness to him, one that sent a small chill up his spine. Peter reminded himself that he had no idea what happened here, and tried not to jump to conclusions, not like the rest of the Avengers.  
“Karen, is anyone dead or in critical condition?” He spoke to his suit, which promptly scanned all of the slumped bodies, but none were hurt too badly. A couple broken bones and lots of scrapes and bruises, but the cops were already on their way, the police scanner describing the fight is what brought Peter here. But still, he hadn’t expected to see Loki at the center of it.  
The thought caused renewed energy and purpose to surge through Peter, he had to find out what happened, and this was his shining opportunity to talk with Loki, about this fight or anything else, this was likely his only opportunity, seeing as it’s been a week since he came here and he’s had no luck so far.  
“Hold on tight guys, the police and paramedics are on the way.” And Peter left the bar, making his way out onto the city streets. He looked around the empty back alley and finally spotted Loki down a ways, striding down the sidewalk like he owned it, his long black coat billowing a bit in the wind.  
Peter glanced around for anyone else as he shot a web out and swung out towards the God, landing in a crouch right in front of him, causing the man to stop short, but he didn’t appear to surprised.  
“Stalking me now, are you?” His tone was light but also sounded a bit bored. Peter stood from his crouch, searching for something to say, but he was honestly at a loss for words, looking at him in all his glory, in normal clothing, in the middle of a New York alley, it was like Peter’s brain couldn’t compute the image. Luckily, Loki seemed to enjoy hearing himself talk. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re meant to be babysat, not babysitting.”  
Peter felt his cheeks go hot and was eternally grateful for the mask hiding his face, he squared his shoulders and tried to think straight, “I was patrolling and I heard the police talking about the fight, I came out here to put a stop to it... Loki, you can’t just go beating people up, what was that all about?”  
“And why not? It’s what all of you superheros do, is it not?” Loki spoke loftily, now leaning against the brick building they stood next to.  
Peter looked at him in exasperation, not that he could see it, “I- what no, we don’t beat up random people! Only those that deserve it.”  
“And who decides who deserves it and who doesn’t? You people all like to act like you’re so much better than everyone but you’re doing the same thing as everyone else, beating people up. You just also get glory for it.”  
Peter couldn’t find words for a moment, and then he heard something in the distance, police sirens. He was moving without even thinking. He grabbed Loki by the waist and shot out his web, swinging the two of them up onto the rooftops. He felt Loki stiffen and try to resist, but they were in the air before he could, and he must’ve realized he had nowhere to go, because he stopped moving instantly.  
The second they lifted off the ground, Peter’s muscle memory kicked in and his body moved of its own accord, but his mind was now racing about everything. The feeling of Loki next to him, how awkward this whole thing was, how much trouble he’d be in if Tony found out about this.  
They finally landed on the roof and Loki pulled himself away stiffly, brushing off his coat and scowling slightly. The police screeched up the side of the street, piling into the bar as Peter glanced over the edge. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d wanna end up in police custody.” Loki grunted in what sounded like a grateful noise and Peter couldn’t help a small smile at the gruff man. Loki caught the smile and his scowl deepend.  
“So, are you going to run and tattle to your avengers already?” Loki’s bitter words caugh Peter by surprise.  
“Oh uh no I wasn’t planning on telling them. But maybe you could tell me why you started a bar fight? I would appreciate knowing you’re not about to go terrorizing New York. Again.”  
Loki regarded Peter cooly for a moment, just studying him, and Peter had to fight the urge to fidget under the weight of that stare. “So what is it you want?”  
Peter furrowed his brow in confusion. “Um, what do you mean?”  
“Oh please, there is no reason you’re cozying up to me other than some sort of agenda, so what is it?” Loki crossed his arms, still staring Peter down.  
Peter was surprised at the question, not only at Loki’s directness, but at the thought that Peter wanted something from him, “No, I’m not after anything, I just wanted to be your friend- er.” Peter broke off, his anxiety spiking at the admission, realizing how stupid he sounded, his hands now fidgeting in front of him, but then he noticed the look of pure bewilderment that crossed Loki’s face.  
“Why?” The one word came out sour and full of disbelief, it kind of broke Peter’s heart. He wondered if he really had anyone in his life, besides Thor, and even that relationship was rather rocky.  
Peter wanted to tell Loki how much he admired the man, or God as it were. He wanted to tell him that he believed in him, in his ability to do good. He wanted to tell him that he deserved better than the life that he was given, better than a father who kept him like stolen treasure and better than a mother who was taken from him. Peter wanted to tell him that he understood the pressure of having to prove yourself, of having something thrust on you that you didn’t feel you deserved. But Peter couldn’t think straight with those bright green eyes staring at him like they were, full of calculation and distrust.  
Instead Peter cleared his throat and said, “Well, um, Tony telling me I'm not allowed to is a pretty good reason.”  
Loki smirked at that, his eyes lighting with mischief but also held something calculating in them, “And what makes you think I’d want to be your friend?”  
Peter’s stomach did a flip as he answered, “Because Tony said you’re not allowed to?”  
Loki chuckled at that, his smile spreading father as he took Peter in, shaking his head slightly, “You’re right, that is a rather good reason, isn’t it.”  
Peter felt himself smiling back, smiling at Loki, and his stomach was fluttering with butterflies again, excitement racing through his veins. Then he noticed the police rushing into the bar they just left, and he hated to do it, but he knew he needed to drag the conversation back that way. “So then, as your new friend, care to tell me what that bar fight was about?”  
Loki only put his hands in his pants pockets, looked completely at ease and unconcerned as he flicked a gaze down to all the chaos of police and flashing lights, “I was bored?” His lilting voice held a note of amusement as he lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug, a small smirk showing on his face.  
Peter rose his eyebrows in slight bafflement, even though he knew Loki couldn’t see it, “And you thought starting a fight in a seedy biker bar was the best way to alleviate boredom? Most people simply grab a drink at the bar instead, you might wanna try it sometime.”  
Loki only slightly raised an eyebrow as he kept eye contact, his bright eyes seeming to star into Peter’s very soul, “I’m a God, your mortal alcohol hardly has an affect on me. And besides, drinking is more of Thor’s pass time activity. I prefer a good fight.”  
His words sound like a challenge, but Peter isn’t sure what it is, and the way Loki keeps scrutinizing him puts him on edge, so his mind jumps to the first thing it can think of, “At least you thought to change your clothes. As good as you look in your Asgardian clothes, I mean because they’re nice clothes er, but they make you quite noticeable. You know because you’re already a bit recognizable and they definitely make you stick out and er, I should shut up now.” Peter abruptly cut off his incoherent babbling.  
Loki squinted at him like he was trying to work something out and Peter began to fidget slightly, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to think straight.  
After a moment of awkward silence, which felt like the longest ten seconds of Peter’s life, Loki finally spoke up, “And pray tell, what does Spider-man do for fun?”  
Peter’s stomach dropped, hearing that melodic voice speak his superhero name, the weighted question and the way those keen eyes didn’t miss a damned thing. It was all too much and Peter felt like this guy might very well be the death of him, especially if Tony were to find out. If he had any sense at all, he would turn around and head back to the tower and tell the Avengers about Loki’s little stroll through alleys. But Peter had a knack for getting himself into trouble, and this was just too good to resist.  
“I could show you...” Peter’s voice drifted through the air, and he didn’t miss the way Loki’s eyes sparkled with mischief and the smirk that took place as he gestured for Peter to lead the way.


	5. Peter Shoots his Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres the next one, peeps! I hope you like it, I know I enjoyed writing it!

Peter could feel the blood thrumming in his veins as he swung from building to building, adrenaline and nerves coursing through his body, but it was more than the usual thrill of patrolling his city, oh it was so much more.  
His stomach did a flip as he glanced above him, searching the sky for about the millionth time since they left. And just over the building rooftops, Peter could make it out, the sleek and gleaming raven soaring through the air, keeping pace with Peter easily.   
He couldn’t help the awe that took over, and he especially couldn’t keep the grin off of his face, because Loki had turned into a raven. And was currently following him through the city. Because that's what Peter’s life was now.  
Peter’s heart had been in his throat when he offered to show Loki what he did “for fun”, but he ignored the warning signs blaring in his head, and he did it. And it sounded like so much fun, also a bit terrifying, but Peter said what the hell. A metaphorical YOLO, if you will. He took the leap, and then he realized, with terror, that he had no idea how to get Loki there. It was halfway across the city and his options at that point in time were limited. Loki’s disguise was pretty flimsy by himself, let alone the attention being with Spider-man would draw, they'd figure Loki out immediately. And Peter definitely couldn’t be seen gallivanting across town with a known villain, even if he is an ex villain, that would be a PR nightmare and also would get him grounded for life by Tony.   
And a “Okay, Loki, literal God and ex-villain, I’m just gonna carry you and swing us across half of NYC real quick, sound good?” Was too embarrassing to even think about. So Peter’s solution was a smooth and quick explanation of the predicament.  
“So- er, I don’t, I mean how do you… Uh…” He cleared his throat and tried again, “it’s kind of far away… I don’t know, how do you um wanna get there?” His voice went up in pitch at the end, his nervousness abundant as his words tumbled out, his hands gesturing wildly.  
Loki only continued to smirk, a vague gleam of cutting amusement in his eyes as he waited for Peter to finish his rambling. “Hmm, you go ahead and do your thing, Spider-man.” The way he spoke his name sent shivers down Peter’s spine, like a malicious melody.  
“Er, are you sure…?” Peter rubbed the back of his neck as he frowned over the rest of the long city, not understanding what Loki’s plan could be.  
“Trust me, I can keep up.” His tone was smug and his eyes seemed to hold a challenge, which Peter felt in his bones.  
And that’s how he ended up swinging through New York City with a raven God as a flying companion. Now, he couldn’t help himself but to push faster and faster, subconsciously testing just how well his new friend really could keep up.  
Peter glanced up again, his eyes finding the raven easily, darting through the sky, matching Peter’s speed effortlessly. A grin took over his face and he reveled in the feeling, he felt alive, like fire was running through his veins. He hadn’t only befriended Loki, he was practically racing him through the sky, and it was the best night he’s ever had, and he hung out with the Avengers on a regular basis. But this was a new kind of fun, a new kind of dangerous, and he was eating it up.  
“Oh shit!” Just as Peter glanced away from the mesmerizing raven, he realized he was heading straight for a neon sign on the side of a building. Peter threw out a frantic web and managed to just miss it, but he felt the embarrassment course through his whole body and could only hope Loki hadn’t noticed. “Okay, Peter, stop ogling the raven and keep your eyes in front of you.” Peter mumbled to himself as he focused on swinging.  
Peter finally reached the building he wanted in the financial district a little bit later. He leapt onto the rooftop and landed in a crouch, standing up to look around for Loki, making sure he knew they reached their stop.  
And just as he spotted the bird flying towards the rooftop, there was a flash of green and out of the color came Loki, rolling onto the building and landing perfectly. Before he even finished standing up Peter was bombarding him with questions.  
“That was so fucking cool! I mean, I knew you could shape shift already because of Thor’s stories, but hearing it and seeing it, holy shit! What else can you turn into? Like you just have unlimited shape shifting abilities? That is so dope! Oh my god, dude what is it like flying? Can you still think as an animal? I mean do they have thought patterns different than us? Or does your mind stay the same even if-” Peter cut off suddenly, finally taking notice of how much rambling he was doing, his cheeks heating instantly at the thought. He finally stopped and took notice of Loki. At first he’d looked genuinely surprised at the onslaught of questions, but quickly that had been covered with a look of horror, and now he looked greatly pained. “Uh, sorry, I might’ve gotten a bit carried away there.” Peter said sheepishly.  
Loki’s face smoothed out a bit, but his eyes still looked a bit narrowed in suspicion, but Peter was beginning to think that was just his natural state. “ No matter, though maybe give me a warning next time you want to give a frenzied monologue?” Peter was never as grateful for his mask as he was now. “So, there doesn’t seem to be much going on in this part of town, where are we exactly?” Loki was inspecting the buildings, having already moved on from Peter’s outburst.  
“Oh yeah, most of the places are closed right now.” Peter looked around, trying to distract himself from how fricken awkward he was. He found the vent he’d been looking for and eagerly set to task, lowering himself to begin taking out the screws, he glanced back over and did a double take when he saw the expression Loki wore as he leaned against a pole, looking completely at ease, and wearing a most cunning smile as he stared down at Peter.  
“What…?” Peter asked apprehensively. Peter might genuinely believe Loki isn't a bad guy anymore, that he's grown and changed at his core, and he might even sincerely like the guy, but Peter wasn't an idiot. Loki was still the god of mischief and chaos, and even his most innocent pranks likely held a bite.   
Loki seemed to sink into that smirk, his entire body conveying trouble. He held himself like a dare, taunting and goading everyone, “Why, Spider-man, are we breaking and entering?” His voice was full of mock innocence, and he still managed a note of amusement behind it.  
“What?” Peter yelped, “No, I was-”  
“I should’ve realized fighting humans was pointless, they’re just too easy. You’ve definitely got the right idea here, under the radar criminal activity is really the best way to alleviate boredom.”  
Peter jumped up, “No no no no, that’s not what I was saying whatsoever!” Peter couldn’t get the image of Loki being caught in the middle of a bank robbery and Tony finding out that Peter gave him the idea, “I’m not even breaking in really! They never even know I’m here, I’m in and out and honestly if I asked them they’d probably give me a key! And- oh.” Peter caught the self satisfied grin Loki was now wearing. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”  
“God of Mischief after all.” Loki elegantly shrugged one shoulder, “But dress it up how you want, hero, you’re definitely still breaking and entering.”  
Peter gave a chuckle and an eye roll as he went back to taking the vent cover off. Loki was poking fun at Peter now, and sure, he might be making fun of him more than anything, but Peter couldn’t help feeling like he was onto something here, like he might really have a chance at a friendship here. Peter wasn’t sure he’d be able to wrap his mind around it.  
He pulled the cover off the vent and set it aside, looked down the familiar tube, and back up at Loki with a smirk of his own. “Well, lets see if you can still keep up then.” And with that, Peter jumped right into the vent.   
He shot webs at his sides as he fell, landing smoothly at the bottom. He was sure Loki would easily find a way down, but it was a long drop down and Peter was hoping he’d at least be able to have a fun with it.  
He made his way through the rest of the pipe and he heard a small buzzing noise, and then, just ahead of him a hummingbird came into view. It was gorgeous, black with a shine that looked almost green, with wings beating so fast they were practically invisible. “That is so fucking awesome.” Peter breathed without even meaning too. And then the hummingbird proceeded to dart all around him the rest of the way through the vent.   
“And here we are!” Peter definitely felt weird talking to a hummingbird, but he tried not to overthink it. He rested over a vent cover in the ceiling and popped it open in a swift move, and then lowered himself into the room easily. Loki darted out of the vent and in a flash of green, this time Peter was more prepared, and he turned back into his normal self, smirk and all. Peter still had to work to keep the out pour of his inner thoughts contained.  
Loki took a sweep of the room, but his look turned dubious quickly. “And where exactly is here?”  
“Wait, you don’t know what this is?” Peter lost all thoughts of shape shift and magic, his mind latching onto a new topic of interest.  
“Should I?” Loki said, looking for all intents and purposes, completely unimpressed with Peter’s mystery location.  
“Should you? Of course you should! It’s like a hallmark of childhood!” When Loki still gave him a blank look, Peter continued his tirade, “ You haven't lived until you’ve spent hours in an arcade. And do you know what’s even better than an arcade?” Peter was grinning now, his excitement outweighing any nervousness.  
“Anything?” Loki muttered.  
“A closed arcade.” Loki looked at Peter like he might’ve been dropped on the head as a small child, which Peter ignored. “Come on already, you said you wanted to see what I do for fun, didn’t you? Well don’t knock it till you try it.” Peter turned back around, surveying the room. “Okay, I’m gonna go flip the breaker so we have some power.”  
Peter didn’t have much trouble finding it in the employee room, he had done this a few times before. Though usually he never had company with him, so that was new. “Ah, here we are.” Peter mumbled to himself, opening up the breaker box and searching for the correct switches. He didn’t need all of the place on so he tried to work out which levers turned on which games. He took the mask off so he could see easier as he read through the breakers. “Let’s see here.” Peter flipped a few and turned to look through the main room and see what was on. The machines gave off enough light for them to see by and not too much that they’d get caught. Peter shut the breaker box and turned toward the door, about to put his mask back on.  
“You could leave the mask off you know.”  
Peter jumped at the sound of Loki’s voice coming from right in front of him. “Jesus Christ you really know how to sneak up on someone.” He cleared his throat, finally recognizing Loki’s words, “Um I just took it off to read the switches easier.” He mumbled while awkwardly gesturing behind him, twisting the mask in his hands now.   
Loki still stood there, leaning against the threshold, looking content, but also a bit pleased with himself for catching Peter off guard. “I’m just saying, I of course already know who you are so it’s kind of pointless at this point. Plus I’m pretty sure no one else is here to see you, so you’re safe... Mostly.” Peter rose his eyebrows at the last part and Loki just shrugged, “I do have a reputation to uphold.” And with that he walked back out to the main room, leaving Peter with his mask in his hands and his stomach in knots.  
Peter decided to leave the mask off. He'd probably need it off for most of these games any way, right? So really it's a smart move, he’s not really doing it for Loki.  
Peter walled back to the main room, trying to play it cool as he looked over the games in the room. “okay so, where to start…” wearing his suit but no mask felt weird, even though he knew he didn't need to keep his identity secret any more.  
Peter tried to shake out the thoughts in his head like an etch-a-sketch and focus on what was right in front of him. He looked over the games, all your basic arcade games, and really, he loved them all. Especially here at night, there was something magical about being alone in an arcade after hours.  
But this was going to be the first arcade game Loki has ever played, it had to be a good one. And then Peters eyes landed on it, a crane machine in the back corner.  
“Perfect!” He spoke under his breath. his face lit up with excitement. He turned around and took Loki by the wrist, pulling him along as he bounded across the room.  
“And, here we have it, the perfect first arcade game, a crane machine!” Peter held his arms up to show off the game, in classic Will Smith fashion. Loki regarded the machine like it was a zoo animal that just laid there and disappointed all the hyped up kids, before turning the unmoved gaze back to Peter.  
“You can’t be serious.” Peter’s stomach dipped in nervousness at the weight of those intense green eyes and the sound of Loki’s condescending voice.  
Peter swallowed as he attempted to stick to his guns, “It’s a staple in American arcades, and practically a right of passage for every child” He kept his eyes on the machine to try and quell the nervousness.  
“This heap of metal is a right of passage? No wonder you mortals are hopeless.” Loki shook his head as he looked at the game with disdain.  
Now Peter was a little offended on behalf of crane machines and arcade rooms everywhere, “Hey now, this heap of metal may not be some sophisticated technology from Asgard-”  
Loki scoffed, “Clearly.”  
“But it’s beloved here, and it's actually a lot harder than you might think!”  
“Doubtful.”  
Peter gave an exasperated chuckle, “Then by all means.” He directed Loki to the joystick. “You use the joystick to move the crane and pick up one of the stuffed animals, press the button to-”  
Loki was already moving the joystick, aiming for a stuffed animal with a very smug look on his face, “It’s pretty self explanatory, Parker.” Peter Focused on the moving crane in order to ignore the sudden goosebumps he got when Loki called him by his last name.   
They both watched silently as Loki adjusted the crane over an odd looking teddy bear lying on top of the rest of the stuffed animals. It looked to be in a good position, but you really never knew with these games. Loki hit the button, and Peter couldn’t help but hold his breath as they watched the crane slowly descend on it’s target.  
The bear was snatched up easily, the Crane grabbing ahold of him and pulling it upward. Peter felt a grin taking hold, even though he’d started with hopes of showing Loki just how difficult the game could be.  
Just as the bear almost reached the top of the trajectory, it began to slip from the cranes grasp, and the tension skyrocketed as Peter watched it move towards the corner of the machine, but the bear kept sliding out of its grasp the whole way.  
“Come on... no no no!” Peter grimaced as the bear fell just out of reach of the exit and it plopped right back down on the pile of stuffed animals, his lifeless eyes staring at them mockingly. “Well, what can you do? Hardly anyone actually- Loki!”   
Peter swiftly stepped in front of Loki just as he pulled a knife out of thin air and raised it above his head, a look of determination on his face “Whoa, Loki, what are you doing?”  
“I’m getting what is rightfully mine from that cheating piece of junk, now move.” Loki sidestepped Peter and lifted his knife again, but Peter followed him, putting his hands up and tried to reason with him.  
“You can’t damage the game Loki! This is someone’s property, kids play this-”  
“Then I’m doing them a favor!”  
“Oh my god”, Peter looked at him in disbelief, “stop being a sore loser and put the knife away.” Loki stopped glaring at the machine and instead started squinting menacingly at Peter, causing the younger boy to cringe and get a little flustered.   
He was almost worried he’d gone too far and Loki might go on a rampage just out of spite, and boy wouldn’t that be fun to explain to the Avengers, but eventually Loki just let out a wry laugh and put his knife away in a flash of green. “Fine, but I have a request.”  
Peter looked the God over warily, “And what would that be?” He hoped his voice sounded more confident than he felt.  
“Well I hope you’re not afraid of a little friendly competition, Parker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on ending this chapter at the end of the arcade scene but it just turned out so long I had to cut it in half! I think it turned out pretty well though! More arcade fun to come in the next chapter!
> 
> Also, I checked out all the attention this story has been getting and so far this is my most popular fic?? It's really not that surprising because I've only written a handful and this is already the longest, but I'm still super excited and proud! Thank you all for the reviews and kudos, I'm so glad you're liking it!!!


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